Standardized Testing
Every year, I walk into a crowded room, and fear washes over me. The bare walls mellow my mood while a combination of whispers surround me. Our instructor walks in, and the room falls silent. We immediately go into the instructions. When the test finally begins, I hear pencils moving, the clock ticking, and students breathing. When the clock ticks, I am reminded of my limited time. I ask myself, "Am I going to have enough time, and what if I'm the last one done?" How embarrassing. When I look around, some of my peers seem just as anxious as I am, while others haven't opened their booklet yet. I try to act unbothered, but my body feels like I swallowed a million butterflies. Standardized tests should not determine whether
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Teachers do their best to help their students study by teaching themselves out of a book. As people, teachers naturally pick favorites. Without thinking, teachers help some students more than others, which puts the helped students at an advantage. Every teacher also grades their students differently. A work in one class might be considered a C work in another (Do). The difference in grading might make it seem like a student is doing better than they are. With so many factors playing a role in a student's academic performance, can we base how smart a student is on one …show more content…
Mentally, these tests can put so much pressure on students that they physically cannot take the test to the best of their abilities. Approximately 25–40% of US students suffer from test anxiety, so when students receive a book of their fears to complete, it rarely ends well (McIntyre). It is not appropriate to scare students into sufficient work. Students who succeed in these tests are either academically heightened or have studied the information for hours on end. Since only 6–10 percent of students are academically gifted, the rest who want to succeed wonder why they don't understand as much as their peers. Students are left wondering why they did not do well enough